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PORTLAND, Ore. - Nicolas Batum had a simple question for his Portland teammates: "Why not us?" No other team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. But the Trail Blazers took the first step Monday night by beating the San Antonio Spurs 103-92 to stave off elimination and narrow the Western Conference semifinal series to 3-1. "Why not us? No, its never been done before," Batum said. "We know its going to be tough. It wont be easy, especially against this team. The French forward had 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists and pestered fellow countryman Tony Parker all night. Damian Lillard had 25 points to lead the Blazers, who won their first second-round playoff game since a victory over Utah in the 2000 conference semifinals. "We had nothing to lose tonight. We had no pressure. It was do or die," Batum said. "So we just go out there and play." Portland held Parker to 14 points after he had scored 29 points or more in three of his last four playoff games. Coach Gregg Popovich sat Parker and Tim Duncan after Portland built a 20-point lead in the final quarter. The Spurs are looking to advance to the conference finals for the third straight season. Game 5 is Wednesday night in San Antonio. "The energy was weird tonight," Parker said. "You have to give a lot of credit to Portland. They played great. They came out of the gates and I thought Batum was great tonight. He gave them a big boost." The Blazers were the last team to take a series to seven games after dropping the first three. Portland rebounded in the first round against Dallas in 2003, but ultimately lost the deciding game in the first-round series. The Blazers have been hurt by the loss of backup point guard Mo Williams to a groin injury for the past two games. Williams provided both energy and points off the bench all season in relief of Lillard. Portland got just six points off the bench in Game 3, but Will Barton provided a spark with 17 points on Monday night. Barton became the first Blazer with 17 points and six rebounds off the bench in a playoff game since Brian Grant in 2000 against Utah. "Any time you get a boost off the bench its always good for a momentum swing," San Antonios Danny Green said. "When he comes in and gets the crowd into it, they pretty much get it going, and it helped them a lot. " Coach Terry Stotts promised that the Blazers would play with pride in Game 4 and they did from the start. Lillards pull up jumper gave Portland a 14-8 lead. He extended it to 20-14 with a layup. But the Spurs answered with a 9-2 run and took a 24-23 lead on Patty Mills 3-pointer. Portland, which had only led twice in the previous three games, quickly reclaimed the lead and held on until Tiago Splitter tied it at 46 with a free throw. The Blazers had a 50-48 lead at the half. "I though with the way Nico (Batum) played, the game came a lot easier," Lillard said. "He was attacking, making plays. He was pushing the ball." Lillard opened the second half with a 3-pointer. Batum hit a 3 and added a free throw to push the lead to 69-61. Batum added another 3 before Thomas Robinsons dunk and Lillards 3 made it 77-63 to cap a 12-2 Portland run. Lillards layup put Portland ahead 90-72 in the fourth quarter. He added another to make it 94-74. "If they lost today it was a sweep, but theyve got pride and they played good," Manu Ginobili said. "They played the game more desperately than we did. We didnt bring the same emotions the first three games. The bottom line is they played better than us in every aspect of the game. Parker scored 29 points in San Antonios 118-103 Game 3 victory on Saturday night. The Spurs had routed the Blazers 116-92 in the series opener after their grueling seven-game series against the Mavericks, then built a 20-point lead and won Game 2, 114-97. NOTES: Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll watched the game sitting next to Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who owns both the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks and the Blazers. ... It was Batums first double-double in the playoffs. ... It was Portlands first playoff victory against the Spurs since May 1, 1993, in the first round. Carlos Zambrano Jersey . -- Patrick Kueng of Switzerland was nearly flawless as he captured his first World Cup and halted Aksel Lund Svindals streak of four straight super-G victories on Saturday. Greg Maddux Jersey . At this rate, the Flyers captain is set to be remembered more for a fantastic finish. http://www.cubsauthentic.com/cubs-addison-russell-jersey/. Nikolai Khabibulin was yanked in the second period, and the Ottawa Senators looked ready to put away a big road win. Kyle Schwarber Jersey . Kevin Durant certainly played like there was on Sunday night, scoring 36 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Thunder made quick work of the visiting Pacers with a 118-94 win. Javier Baez Jersey .com) - One point guard will return, while another will sit when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit American Airlines Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos coach John Fox underwent heart surgery Monday in North Carolina, team Executive Vice-President John Elway said. Elway said he hasnt received an update yet. Fox underwent aortic valve replacement surgery while defensive co-ordinator Jack Del Rio was running practice after being named interim head coach. Elway said he knew Fox needed a heart operation, which had been scheduled for after the season. Del Rio was named interim head coach Monday when the Broncos returned from their bye. He will remain Denvers defensive co-ordinator while running the team for several weeks while Fox recovers. Like Fox, Del Rios roots are on the defensive side of the ball. This is his 17th season coaching in the NFL following an 11-year playing career with the Saints, Chiefs, Cowboys and Vikings. That includes eight-plus seasons as head coach in Jacksonville, where he was 69-73, including 1-2 in the playoffs from 2003-11. The Jaguars havent been anywhere near competitive since his dismissal in 2011. Del Rio joined Foxs staff last season -- he also served as Foxs defensive co-ordinator in Carolina in 2002 -- and the Broncos ranked second in the league in yards allowed a year after ranking dead last in the league. The Broncos are ranked 24th in defence this season, but they were missing star linebacker Von Miller and cornerback Champ Bailey for much of the first half of the season and are coming offf their best performance of the year in a 45-21 win over Washington last month.dddddddddddd. Fox was hoping to put off his operation until the off-season but after meeting with his cardiologist in North Carolina late last week, he began feeling dizzy while playing golf near his off-season home in Charlotte on Saturday and was hospitalized. The Broncos (7-1) play at San Diego on Sunday as they seek their 19th win in their last 20 regular-season games. While pulling double duty, Del Rio will rely on other members of the coaching staff to pitch in, men such as linebackers coach Richard Smith, a former defensive co-ordinator, and running backs coach Eric Studesville, who served as Denvers interim head coach following Josh McDaniels firing late in 2010. Hell also rely on his captains, particularly Peyton Manning and Wesley Woodyard. Del Rio has long commanded the respect of his players, who appreciate his resume as a star NFL linebacker. Hes a lot like Fox in that hes considered a players coach, one who understands things from their perspective. Although they have similar philosophies, backgrounds and approaches, Del Rios sideline demeanour can differ from the easygoing Foxs. At Indianapolis, he dressed down Bailey for his abysmal coverage on a touchdown pass just as vehemently as he castigated rookie linebacker Danny Trevathan for fumbling a pick-6 at the goal line in the season opener. 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